But there is less and less surprise in the "global village" . . .. When the news is constant and continuous and always with us, when we are saturated with news, there is no real news. Real news is from elsewhere. When everyone is in the same room (or the same global village), there is no real news, because everyone can see what everyone else is doing. Surprise is impossible. News is impossible. The people in the room don't need information about what's going on there.
From Movable Type to Data Deluge. By: Gehl, John, Douglas, Suzanne, World & I, 08879346, Jan99, Vol. 14, Issue 1
In this quote the author is stating that as technology brings us closer together, we are less surprised by the happenings of the world. While I agree that this is true, there are so many things in the world that continue to surprise me, despite how easy it is to gather information about these things. As I read this quote I thought about when I was planning on going to Thailand. I had never been there so I didn't know what to expect. Excitedly I gathered information about the country, read books, viewed videos and pictures, talked to people who had been there, and tried to grasp what this country was like. I still remember the shock of arriving, everything was so different than what I had imagined, from the smells to the buildings to the abundance of stray dogs, not to mention a different language and culture. Regardless of all of the available information I was shocked at what I found. I have had similar experiences traveling to other countries. Despite the global village created by high availability of information, some things will always surprise us.
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